the love of food made gluten free

Aubergine and Butternut Squash Curry

I am obsessed with Indian food…obsessed. Anything spicy gets me going, but the spice you get from a curry, man these guys know where it’s at!

I love a takeaway as a treat, but it’s just that; a treat! If I could have it my way I’d be able to stuff my face with saag aloo without piling on a pound, but unfortunately that’s just not gonna happen! So to satisfy my curry cravings I love to make my own at home…at least I know exactly what’s in it! And yes, curry can be healthy too!

You don’t need to spend hours recreating the flavours you get from a takeaway. If you want to, you can of course make a spice mix from scratch, but if you want the hard work done for you just pick up a good curry powder mix, and then raid your cupboards, shove it all in a pot, and voila!

This curry is a great meal for those avoiding meat, and you don’t miss it at all with the chunky veg and silky aubergine…the other half didn’t even realise it was meat free when I gave this to him the other night; winner!

Give it a go and spread the spicy love!

Aubergine and Butternut Squash Curry

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 45 – 60 minutes Serves: 6 portions

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil

2 onions, sliced (omit if following FODMAP diet)

2 – 3 cloves of garlic, crushed (omit if following FODMAP diet)

1 inch piece of ginger, finely choppeed

1 chilli, diced (deseed if you don’t like it too hot!)

3 tablespoons curry powder (I use hot, but you can use medium or mild)

In a large casserole dish/pit, warm the oil over a medium heat and add in the onions. Sweat down until starting to go soft, which will take 5-10 minutes

Add into the pot the chilli, ginger and garlic. Mix around until coated with the oil, making sure the garlic doesn’t catch

Add in the curry powder and other spices and mix round. Allowing the spices to hit the heat will toast them and release all their aromatic flavours. You also ensure you’re cooking them out so you won’t get a horrid powdery uncooked spices taste!

Next pop into the pan the aubergine slices, cubed butternut squash and chopped pepper. Ensure they’re all coated with the spice mix, then chuck in the tomatoes, the mango chutney, and cover with the water or stock

Pop a lid on a cook for 15 – 20 minutes and reduce the heat to a low simmer, ensuring to stir occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan

After this time, remove the lid and cook for the remaining time until the aubergines start to break up as this really thickens the sauce, at this point see if you need to season with some salt and pepper (you may not need salt if you have used stock)

Once all the vegetables are cooked through and the sauce is nice and thick, serve with some rice and accompaniments of your choice, and as always, enjoy!